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WINTER: Robbo chosen as Head Coach for England Lions trip

12-Nov-2013

It has been announced today that Sussex's Professional Cricket Manager Mark Robinson will lead the England Lions tour to Sri Lanka in the early part of 2014, taking the role of Head Coach.

The team will arrive into Colombo on 27th January and depart on 2nd March. The tour includes three four-day Tests against the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team, with the final schedule to be announced later this month.

Robinson said, “I’m absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to work with the Lions. It will not only be a great learning experience for the players to tour Sri Lanka but also for myself and I’m really looking forward to being involved.

"We’ve got an exciting winter with Carl Hopkinson involved with England in the Under-19 World Cup and myself away in February which is good recognition, not only for Carl but for the club in general.

“We were lucky that we have already taken on Jason Swift as a Coach/Analyst to take over from Chris Pickett who has gone to work in Hong Kong, which will help ensure we are not left without enough coaching and analytical resources back at Hove.

“Jason has worked previously with Lancashire as an Analyst but is also a Level Four Coach and went from Lancashire to be Assistant Coach to Stuart Law with Bangladesh. The addition of Jason has not only strengthened our coaching setup, but allows us a bit more flexibility in where we use our coaches.

“We are lucky that we can call upon Nic Pothas and Tony Cottey, who both work with us on a part-time basis and last year added fresh insight and enthusiasm, not only to the players but to the full-time coaches.”

Sussex's Chief Executive Zac Toumazi commented, "The club would like to congratulate Mark on being asked to lead the England Lions on the tour and we're delighted for all the coaching staff involved in the trip."

ECB Performance Director David Parsons said: “We are delighted to give Mark Robinson the opportunity to come into the England Lions setup and take the role of Head Coach for this tour next year. This should not only provide him with an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand what the England Cricket programme is really about, but also we will be able to benefit greatly from Mark’s experience as one of our leading Coaches within the First Class game.

“Training and playing competitive cricket in challenging conditions against tough opposition is always a great way for our players to further their individual games, so this tour will act as an important part of developing and identifying the England players of the future.”